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Indian badminton mainstay PV Sindhu eased into the second round of the ongoing Badminton Asia Championships 2023 after she got the better of Wen Chi Hsu of Taiwan 21-15, 22-20 in a 46-minute battle.
Sindhu, ranked 11th in the world, will be up against World No. 9 Han Yue of China in the second round of the competition.
Sindhu, a two-time Olympic medalist, has had an underwhelming season so far. Her return to competitive badminton after a five-month injury layoff at the start of the year didn't go as expected as she strung together many losses, which also resulted in her coach Park Tae Sang walking out.
Han Yue is a former Asian Champion and hasn't had a great string of results. Her best finish this season was in the Thailand Mastes 2023 where she finished runner-up.
Yue lost in the Round-of-16 at both the All England Open and the Swiss Open.
PV Sindhu vs Han Yue head-to-head
PV Sindhu and Yue have met four times on the tour, with Sindhu holding a superior 3-1 advantage.
Their first meeting was at the 2017 China Open, with the Indian winning 21-15, 21-13. They next crossed swords at the 2019 Japan Open, where Sindhu ran away to a 21-9, 21-17 win. The third time the duo met at the Singapore Open in 2022 when Sindhu registered a come-from-behind 17-21, 21-11, 21-19 win over Yue.
The pair's last meeting came at the World Championships last year when PV Sindhu pulled out due to an ankle injury she sustained at the Commonwealth Games.
Date: April 27, 2023
Time: Approx 10:30 am local time, 12 noon IST
Venue: Sheikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Indoor Hall, Al Nasr Club in Dubai
PV Sindhu vs Han Yue prediction
PV Sindhu hasn't had the best of the season this year. The 27-year-old went on a three-match losing streak on the tour before snapping it with a first-round victory at the Swiss Open in March. However, her title defense came to a premature end with her second-round exit.
Sindhu finally turned things around in her next outing at the Madrid Spain Masters. For the first time this year, the Indian ace won four straight matches to make the final in this Super 300 competition.
However, the exploits took their toll on her, robbing her of any energy to contest the summit clash. Sindhu turned up a pale shadow of herself as she went down 21-8, 21-8 against Gregoria Mariska Tunjung of Indonesia.
Although stretched to the hilt, Sindhu appeared to be clinical in her win over Wen Chi Hsu in the first round of the Badminton Asia Championships 2023. Going by form and how things are, it seems that Sindhu could prevail in a grueling contest.
Pick: PV Sindhu to win in a three-set thriller.
Badminton Asia Championships 2023: Where to Watch in India
The Badminton Asia Championships 2023 can be watched live on Badminton Asia's YouTube channel and Facebook page from April 25 to 27. Starting April 28-30, the tournament will be broadcast live on Sony TEN 2 and Sony LIV in India.
